KR20130090587A - Potable isothermal nucleotide amplification device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A portable isothermal nucleotide amplification device is provided to facilitate disease diagnosis by nucleotide amplification and to enable an ordinary user to react quickly by diagnosing on the spot. CONSTITUTION: A portable isothermal nucleotide amplification device (100) comprises a main body (110); a power part (120) contained in the main body; a sample reaction part (130) for maintaining a constant temperature in a sample tube by generating heat when power is supplied from the power part; and a control part (150) for controlling heat generated in the sample reaction part.

Description

[0001] POTABLE ISOTHERMAL NUCLEOTIDE AMPLIFICATION DEVICE [0002]

The present invention relates to a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus, and more particularly, to a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus capable of diagnosing a disease by amplification of a nucleic acid easily and promptly diagnosing the disease in the field.

In order to analyze genetic information of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA for the purpose of sequencing and disease diagnosis, it is necessary to amplify a large amount of nucleic acid in an amount necessary for analysis.

To this end, a cell lysis, nucleic acid amplification, microelectrophoresis (CE) for separating nucleic acids from cells may be performed.

Among these processes, nucleic acid amplification methods include isothermal amplification methods such as ligase chain reaction (LCR), strand displacement amplification (SDA), nude acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), and transcription mediated amplification (TMA). And non-isothermal amplification methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

The polymerase chain reaction, which is a typical example of the non-isothermal amplification method, proceeds to a series of temperature enzymatic reaction steps such as denaturation, annealing, and extension, A high quality nucleic acid can be obtained at a high yield.

That is, it is preferable that the reaction temperature is kept constant not only in the isothermal amplification method but also in the non-isothermal amplification method.

On the other hand, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2005-0091366 (published on September 15, 2005) discloses a "nucleic acid amplification method and apparatus ".

Since the temperature-based nucleic acid amplification device that can use a general PCR tube is expensive, the utilization rate is low due to the burden of equipment purchase. The isothermal nucleic acid amplification device can not use the PCR tube, and a complicated imaging system is required.

Therefore, there is a need to improve this.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned necessity, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a nucleic acid amplification method and a nucleic acid amplification method for nucleic acid amplification, which are small in volume, low in cost and easy to use, The present invention provides a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus capable of quickly coping with a nucleic acid.

A portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a main body; a power supply part provided in the main body; a sample reaction part generating heat when power is applied to the sample tube and providing a constant temperature to the sample tube; And a control unit for controlling the control unit.

The power supply unit may include a storage battery provided inside the main body, and a charging terminal connected to the main body to supply power to the storage battery.

The sample reaction unit may include a heating element that generates heat by a power source provided in the power source unit, and a conductor that is in contact with the heating element and conducts heat of the heating element, wherein a plurality of receiving units are formed to seat the sample tube .

Further, the heating element is a regulator IC.

Also, the conductor may be provided with a temperature sensor, and the temperature of the heating element may be controlled by a temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor.

In addition, the sample reaction part is provided on the circumferential surface thereof with a heat insulating member which blocks the heat of the sample reaction part from being transmitted to the outside.

In addition, the present invention is characterized by a discrimination unit capable of discriminating the sample deformation of the sample tube by the heat of the sample reaction unit.

And a filter unit provided in the main body to visually confirm the deformation of the sample tube irradiated with the light from the light source unit, the light source unit irradiating the sample tube placed on the sample reaction unit with light, do.

The portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention has a storage battery inside the main body and can be used in the field by the power source of the storage battery, so that it can be diagnosed quickly.

In addition, the present invention has a small volume, a light and compact structure, is inexpensive, is easy to use, and can be diagnosed easily by a general public, so that it can be quickly coped with, and has an effect of being easy to supply.

Further, the present invention has an effect of preventing fire and breakage by using the heat generating element as an IC regulator.

In addition, the present invention has an effect of providing reliability and convenience of a test using a product by providing a discrimination unit which can visually confirm nucleic acid amplification of a sample accurately.

1 is a perspective view of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention,
2 is a cross-sectional view of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a configuration diagram of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 4 is a use state diagram of the portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a perspective view of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a cross-sectional view of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention,
7 is a configuration diagram of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention,
8 is a use state diagram of the portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the thicknesses of the lines and the sizes of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation. In addition, terms to be described below are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or convention of a user or an operator. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a use state diagram of the portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

1 to 4, the portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 110, a power source unit 120, a sample reaction unit 130, and a control unit 150 do.

The main body 110 forms an outer shape of the present invention and includes a power source unit 120, a sample reaction unit 130, and a control unit 150 therein. An opening hole 111 is formed in the main body 110 so that the sample reaction part 130 is exposed and a cover 112 is hinged to cover the entire surface of the sample reaction part 130.

The power supply unit 120 is provided inside the main body 110 and can charge external power. That is, the power supply unit 120 includes a battery 122 and a charging terminal 124 to which the external power is connected to the main body 110 to charge the battery 122.

Although the power supply unit 120 is illustrated as the storage battery 122 and the charging terminal 124 in this embodiment, the power supply unit 120 may be replaced with a replaceable battery.

The external power source is connected to the charging terminal 124 to be supplied to the battery 122, and the external power source is charged to the battery 122.

The sample reaction unit 130 generates heat by applying power to the power supply unit 120 and can provide a constant temperature to the sample tube 105.

The sample reaction unit 130 is connected to the heating element 132 and the heating element 132 that are generated by the power source unit 120 and the heat of the heating element 132 is conducted. And a conductor 135 in which a plurality of accommodating portions 137 are formed.

The front surface of the conductor 135 is exposed through the opening hole 111 of the main body 110. The conductor 135 is made of a copper material and the receiving portion 137 has the same or similar shape as the shape of the sample tube 105 And the sample tube 105 is inserted and seated.

The sample tube 105 is formed with a cap hinged to the upper portion thereof, and is made of a transparent material and has a conical shape. Since the receptacle 137 is formed on the conductor 135 in the same manner as or similar to the sample tube 105, the heat of the conductor 135 can be transmitted to the entire surface of the sample tube 105.

The control unit 150 controls the amount of heat generated by the sample reaction unit 130. The control unit 150 includes a control unit 152 that controls the amount of heat generated by the sample reaction unit 130 by interrupting the power of the power source unit 120 by the operation of the operation unit 152 and the operation unit 152, 154).

That is, the heating element 132 can be set to the set temperature by the operation signal of the operating unit 152, the heat of the heating element 132 is conducted to the conductor 135, and the heat conducted to the conductor 135 The nucleic acid of the sample can be amplified since it is transmitted to the sample tube 105 that is seated in the respective receiving portions 137.

The heat generating element 132 is supplied with stable power by the IC regulator. The temperature of the conductor 135 controls the temperature by controlling the power supplied to the IC regulator.

As a result, the conductor 135 can maintain the isothermal temperature, allowing the isothermal nucleic acid amplification of the sample in the sample tube 105.

The conductor 135 is provided with a temperature sensor 160 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 160 is transmitted to the control unit 154 so that the temperature of the heating element 132 is controlled.

A display unit 115 is provided on the front of the main body 110 to display information such as a set temperature set by the operating unit 152, an actual temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 160, and the remaining power of the battery 122 Respectively.

As such, the same isothermal amplification methods such as LCR (Ligase Chain Reaction), SDA (Strand Displacement Amplification), NASBA (Nucleic Acid Sequence-Based Amplification) and TMA (Transcription Mediated Amplification) can do.

A heat insulating member 140 is provided on the circumferential surface of the sample reaction unit 130 to block the heat of the sample reaction unit 130 from being transmitted to the outside.

The heat insulating member 140 surrounds the conductor 135 and the heat generating element 132 to prevent heat generated from being transmitted to the outside, thereby preventing the image and the device failure. The heat insulating member 140 may be made of various materials such as ceramics.

Hereinafter, the operation of the portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

A sample of human or animal or plant is collected and placed in the sample tube 105, and then the sample tube 105 is placed in the receiving portion 137 of the conductor 135.

Thereafter, when the user operates the operation unit 176 to input the set temperature, power is supplied to the heating element 132 to generate heat according to the set temperature value. The heat of the heat generating element 132 is transmitted to the conductor 135 and the heat is supplied to the sample tube 105 in the receiving portion 137 by the conductor 135.

At this time, the receiving portion 137 is formed in a shape similar to the shape of the sample tube 105 so that the entire surface of the sample tube 105 contacts the receiving portion 137, so that the sensitivity can be improved.

The heating element 132 is composed of an IC regulator and can be supplied with a stable power. The duty of the heating element 132 can be maintained by the duty control, so that the conductor 135 is maintained at the isothermal temperature.

Also, the power supply unit 120 for supplying power to the heat generating element 132 is composed of a battery 122 that is charged by an external power source, and is portable, and thus, can be used in the field.

After a predetermined time, the user can take out the sample tube 105 from the receptacle 137 as shown in FIG. 5 and diagnose the disease by checking the sample amplified by the naked eye.

By the above-described operation, the nucleic acid of the sample can be amplified in the field using the present embodiment, and the disease diagnosis is possible.

For example, a blood sample of Hanwoo can be collected from a farm and amplified by isothermal nucleic acid as described above. Thus, it is possible to quickly and accurately differentiate and diagnose small bacterium from the field, so that a countermeasure against bacillary infection can be established, , And contribute to the public health.

In addition, the present embodiment is simple in structure and can be supplied at a low cost, and is easy to use, so that not only experts but also ordinary people can easily diagnose diseases by nucleic acid amplification.

Second Embodiment

Hereinafter, a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

For convenience of description, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a use state diagram of the portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the portable nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the first embodiment in that the sample deformation of the sample tube 105 is discriminated (Not shown).

The discrimination unit 170 facilitates discrimination of the nucleic acid amplified sample by the heat generated by the sample reaction unit 130 and comprises a light source unit 172 for irradiating the sample tube 105 placed in the sample reaction unit 130 with light, And a filter unit 174 provided in the main body 110 to visually confirm the sample deformation of the sample tube 105 to which the light of the light source unit 172 is irradiated.

The nucleic acid amplified sample is irradiated with light, and more reliable diagnosis can be made by confirming it through the filter unit 174.

The light source unit 172 is electrically connected to the control unit 154 as shown in FIG. 2 and each light source of the light source unit 172 is provided to correspond to the accommodating unit 137, . That is, the light source of the light source unit 172 is formed of an LED lamp, and is provided at a lower portion of the receiving unit 137.

At this time, the accommodating part 137 is made of a hole penetrating unlike the first embodiment, and the heat insulating member 140 is made of transparent ceramics. In the above structure, the light source of the sample tube 105 and the light source unit 172 housed in the receiving unit 137 are positioned on a straight line, so that the light of the light source can irradiate the lower portion of the sample tube 105.

The filter unit 174 is formed of an orange filter and is provided on the cover 112 of the main body 110. 8, the user turns on the light source of the light source unit 172 by operating the operation unit 152 in the isothermal state of the sample reaction unit 130, and supplies the nucleic acid amplified sample to the filter unit 174 .

This is because the fluorescent material to be injected into the sample is emitted by light and can be confirmed through the orange filter, so that a clear nucleic acid amplification can be confirmed.

Therefore, the user can check the state of the sample tube 105 in a state of being accommodated in the accommodating portion 137 without withdrawing the sample tube 105, thereby providing ease of use, and can visually confirm the sample irradiated with light through the filter portion 174 Therefore, more reliable diagnosis is possible.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. I will understand.

Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the claims.

100: Portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification device 105: Sample tube
110: main body 112: cover
115: display unit 120:
122: Battery 124: Charging terminal
130: sample reaction part 132: heating element
135: conductor 137: accommodating portion
140: thermal insulating member 150:
152: operating part 154:
160: Temperature sensor 170:
172: light source part 174: filter part

Claims (8)

main body;
A power supply unit provided in the main body;
A sample reaction unit which generates heat when power is applied to the power supply unit and provides a constant temperature to the sample tube; And
Portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus comprising a control unit for controlling the calorific value of the sample reaction unit.
The method of claim 1,
Wherein the power supply unit comprises: a storage battery provided inside the main body; And
Portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus comprising a charging terminal connected to the external power source to the main body to charge the battery.
The method of claim 1,
Wherein the sample reaction unit includes: a heating element that generates heat by a power source provided in the power source unit; And
Portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus comprising a conductor in which the heat of the heat generating element is in contact with the heat generating element, a plurality of receiving portions are formed so that the sample tube is seated.
The method of claim 3,
The heating element is a portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus, characterized in that the IC regulator.
The method of claim 3,
The conductor is provided with a temperature sensor;
Wherein the temperature of the heating element is controlled by a temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor.
The method of claim 1,
Portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus, characterized in that the heat insulating member for blocking the heat transfer of the sample reaction portion to the outer peripheral surface of the sample reaction portion.
The method of claim 1,
Portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus comprising a discriminating unit capable of discriminating the sample deformation of the sample tube by the heat of the sample reaction unit.
8. The method of claim 7,
A light source unit for irradiating the sample tube placed on the sample reaction unit with light; And
Portable isothermal nucleic acid amplification apparatus characterized in that it comprises a filter unit provided in the main body to visually check the sample deformation of the sample tube irradiated with the light source.

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